Sir David Adjaye and local architect S Ghosh & Associates have unveiled their extension to the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA), which will make it the largest art and culture centre in India.
Unveiled as a model at the 18th Venice architecture biennale, the 100,000 sq m building will be located near Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi.
The extension will contain space for permanent and temporary exhibitions, as well as performance areas. It will also allow more of the museum’s 10,000 piece permanent collection to be displayed.
The KNMA was established in 2010 and has two locations, in New Delhi and the nearby city of Noida in Uttar Pradesh.
Adjaye said: “KNMA provides an opportunity to embolden the rise of contemporary Indian art, releasing a new cultural offering for both the people of India and the wider global arts landscape.
“Its location in Delhi – one of the oldest cities in the world, with a lineage of habitation that stretches to the 6th century BC – gives new context to its position as a dynamic, living cultural force. As such, its specific location within the city directly influences the new building’s form, rhythm and landscape
Kiran Nadar, the gallery’s founder, said: “At the heart of KNMA is the notion of giving back to society, preserving treasures of the cultural past and nurturing a young generation of creative practitioners and thinkers, while bridging the gap between art and the public.”
